Thursday, September 27, 2007

Celebrate What's Working


"Out of necessity, you often focus on the things in your life that are not working as well as you'd like them to be. It pays to also consider, appreciate and celebrate the vastly large number of things that are working just great.
Occasionally you'll turn the key in the ignition and your car won't start, causing hassles, frustration and delays. Yet how very many more times do you have cause to be thankful when you turn the key, the car starts right up, and you drive quickly and safely to your destination?

The problems and the pains may at times seem to be overwhelming. Keep in mind though, that the only reason you notice them at all is because they are so relatively rare.

The news each day may appear to be all bad news. However, what qualifies anything to be news is the fact that it is highly unusual.

In the normal course of life, there are so very many things which work just fine that you only notice a small fraction of them all. Open your awareness to more of them, seek to be more genuinely thankful for them, and you'll connect more fully to their immensely positive power.

Celebrate what's working in your life and in your world, and those few things that are not working will hardly be able to even slow you down. Celebrate what's working, and it will increasingly work even better for you."

-- Ralph Marston

Hoops time





Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Good video

This video actually features one of the cool-down songs I used today for my group class in Danvers. Enjoy...

Classic Seinfeld

Cholesterol profile


Best email I got all day from one of my fittest clients:


"...and--another thing...i had to go to the doc's for a yearly exam yesterday and she told me that my hdl and ldl choloesterol levels are the best she has seen out of all of her 4,000 patients! that made me feel nice and healthy!"


Hearing stuff like that makes me love my job even more. Another happy customer :-)


Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Ways to make things more challenging


We've all hit training plateaus at one time or another where things get stale/stagnant. While there are way too many to list, here are 4 ways to prevent potential plateaus in your workout regimen:


1) Increase time under tension (TUT)- that is, slow down how fast you are raising and lowering the weights. A fair warning: this may cause increased muscular soreness, so make sure to always warm up adequately and engage in proper joint mobility work.


2) Increase # of reps- instead of doing sets of 6-8, increase the # to 10-12.


3) Increase weight- many people I watch in the gym can clearly do more reps after they terminate a set. Don't be afraid to pump out a few extra reps to get the most out of the exercise.


4) Decrease rest periods between sets- It drives me INSANE when people (typically guys) dilly-dally between sets, either chatting for 10 minutes about the Sox blowing another lead or texting their friends- ridiculous. Cut the rest time down to 30-60 seconds between sets and you'll feel the difference.

So good


Concord grapes are soooooooo good...


Monday, September 24, 2007

New Book


One of my favorite strength and conditioning coaches, Robert Dos Remedios, had his book come out last week. Mike Boyle did the foreword for it. I just got my copy from Amazon in today's mail. Yeah! I'll post down the road as to how it is.


Sunday, September 23, 2007

Only 1 week 'til training camp!!!



Dre Day

People have been asking me lately if I saw how jacked Dr. Dre got. If you saw the MTV Awards (yes I admittedly still watch them), you'd have seen how huge he is now. I'll give you an idea of how he looked a few years ago and how he looked a couple weeks ago at the MTV Awards...

BEFORE:


AFTER:


What a transformation, huh? The guy's got the traps of an NFL player! I'm so jealous :-)

Being a Captain


Here's to my boy 'Tek for rallying the Sox to another win. His home run tonight was great, but what was greater was after the home run, he wanted no part of going crazy in the dugout when all his teammates were cheering and jumping around. As always, he simply put on his gear and was ready to catch Papelbon in the 9th. The man has always been all business- a true Captain and the reason he's always been my favorite.

Power Diet Shoes

Just when I thought I had seen it all, I read this article from strength & conditioning coach Mike Boyle courtesy of Core Performance:

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Next stop...Danvers, Massachusetts


So I began teaching another 8-week group exercise class in Danvers for their municipal employees (town hall employees, teachers, etc...) on Wednesday. I taught the same class back in the spring and had a great time. The Danvers people are outstanding and genuinely give their best effort. While there are more participants this time around, (supposedly they actually wanted me back!) we make due with the limited space we have.


To the class participants reading this entry, here's to a wonderful future of training each Wednesday together. It's a joy seeing you each week!


-PC

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Fat loss plateaus


I often peruse other fitness blogs, with 6 or 7 in particular that I check out regularly (3-4 days/week). One of my favorites is from Alwyn Cosgrove (http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/). I first met Alwyn at a seminar in Boston back in March- great guy. Anyway, he speaks a lot about "fat loss," and had a great point today I wanted to share. In his blog he states:

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"Exercise Economy-

As the body becomes more skilled at performing a particular exercise (e.g. cycling) it actually becomes more efficient at the movement and burns less calories, even beyond the adaptations mentioned above."

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This is the principle reason behind why those who exercise need to periodically change their workout routines. We "in the biz" call it periodization. As I say to my clients, "we gotta shake things up now and then." Stop doing the same thing over and over again. The body adjusts, and subsequently burns less fat, and this is the reason why weight loss plateaus in so many. Try a new exercise, change (shorten) the rest time between sets, change the speed of each repetition, change the exercise itself in favor of something different (i.e. choose squats instead of lunges).


Monday, September 17, 2007

Cheating article


I've come across yet another writer's viewpoint on the recent fiasco of cheating in pro sports.


Check it out here:


Thursday, September 13, 2007

More Kids Turning to Personal Trainers


MSNBC ran a story recently about an increased number of kids working with trainers. While expensive for parents, I've seen so many benefits gained when I've trained my young athletes. 2005 stats showed that 824,000 children between the ages of 6 and 17 use trainers — a figure that accounts for about 13 percent of trainers’ clients.


Check out the full story here:



A similar piece ran in The Washington Post in October of '04. The link is as follows:

Monday, September 10, 2007

Workers penalized on issues of health


It's now come to the point where workers are being PAID LESS for having high BMI scores- wow. It's bad enough there is still such a disparity as to the pay rate of women versus men. Imagine being an obese woman compared to a healthy man counterpart. Quite a difference in pay!

Check out this story the Globe ran courtesy of the Associated Press:

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/fitness/articles/2007/09/10/workers_penalized_on_issues_of_health/?rss_id=Health

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Make the Most



"You are where you are and life is the way it is. The more completely you accept it, the more power you have to do something about it.

This moment carries enormous opportunity. No positive purpose is served by fighting against it.

Instead, accept what is, the way you are, the way you feel, and the things that life has brought to you. Then you can make the very most of it all."

-- Ralph Marston

Your new USC strength coach: Will Ferrell

Saturday, September 01, 2007

A Healthy Body



"When you move regularly (in the right amount, without overdoing it), drink lots of water (with the minerals it's supposed to have), eat nutrient-dense foods (preferably organic), reduce your exposure to toxins, get adequate sleep, develop a performance mindset, reduce your mental and emotional stress, and breathe fully, your body is amazingly resilient and vital. Sometimes the answer is so simple that we find it hard to believe." Scott Peltin (Tignum AG Performance Specialists)

Hitting the Zoo on my day off

I had today off and spent the day with my brother, mother, niece, and nephew at the Franklin Park Zoo. Check it out: